The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-07-14

country? John Franklin risked his
life to find q passage between
icebergs, and shall we dread to find q pas
sage to eternal summer? Men in Swift
zerland travel up the heights of the Mat
terhorn with alpenstock and guides and
rockets and roTfs, and getting half way
Up, stumble and fall down in a horrible
massacre. They just want to say they
had been on the tops of those high peaks.
And shall we fear to go out for the ascent
of the eternal hills, which start q thou
sand miles beyond where stop the highest
peaks Of the Alps, and when in that as
cent there is no peril? A man doomed to
die stepped on the scaffold and said in joy:
''Now, in ten minutes l will know the
great secret" One minute after the vital
functions ceased the little child that died
last night in Montague street knew more
than Jonathan Edwards, or St. Paul him
self, before he died. Friends, the exit
from this world or death, if you please to
call it, to the Christian is glorious eXpla-
nation. 1t is demonstration. 1t is illu-
mination. 1t is sunburst. 1t is the open
ing of all the windows. 1t is shutting up
the catechism of doubt and the unrolling
of all the scrolls Of positive and ac
curate information. Instead of stand
ing at the foot of the ladder and looking
up, it is standing at the top of the
ladder and looking down. 1t is the last
mystery taken out of botany, and geology,
and astronomy, and theology. Oh, will it
not be grand to have all questions an
swered? The perpetually recurring inter
rogation point changed for the mark of
exclamation. All riddles solved. Who
will fear to go out on that discovery when
all the questions are to be decided which
we have been discussing all our lives?
Who shall not clap his hands m the anti
cpation of that blessed country, if it be
no better than through holy curiosity, cry
ing: '"rhe time of my departure is at
hand"
| remark, again, we ought to have the
JOY of the text, because, leaving this
world, we move into the best society of
the universe. You see a great crowd of
people in some street, and you say:
'Who is passing there? What general,
what prince is going up there?" Well,
see a great throng in heaven. Isay: "Who
is the focus of all that admiration? Who
| is the center of that glittering company?''
! 1t is Jesus, the champion of all worlds, the
| favorite of all ages. Do you know what
| is the first question the soul will ask when
| it comes through the gate of heaven?
| think the first question will be! "Where
is Jesus, the Saviour that pardoned my
sin; that carried my sorrows; that fought
| my battles; that won my victories?" O
radiant Onel how would like to see Thee!
| Thou Of the manger, but without its
huniliation Thou of the cross, but with
! out its pangs; Thou of the grave, but
| without its darkness.
The Bible intimates that we will talk
with Jesus in heaven just as brother
talks with a brother. Now, what will
you ask him first? l do not know. I can
think what would ask Paul first, if saw
him in heaven. l think 1 would like to
hear him describe tho storm that came
upon the ship when there were 275 souls
on the vessel, Paul being the only man on
board cool enough to describe the storm.
| 1s1ere is a fascination about ship and the
sSa that / shall never get over, and think
| Twould like to hear him talk about that
! first. But when | meet my Lord Jesus
Christ, of what shall first delight to hear
| Him speak? Now | think what it is. /
shall first want to hear the tragedy of his
last hours; and then Luke's account of the
crucifiXiOn, and Marks account of the
| crucifiXiOn, and Johns account Of the cru
citiXion will be nothing, while from the
living lips of Christ the story shall be told
of the gloom that fell, and the devils that
arose, and the fact that upon his
endurance depended the rescue of a race
and there was darkness in the sky, and
there was darkness in the soul, and the
pain became more sharp, and the burdens
became more heavy, until the mob began
to swim away from the dying vision oil
Christ, and the cursing of the mob came
to his ear more family, and his hands
were fastened to the horizontal piece ot
The cross, and his feet were fastened tc
the perpendicular piece of the cross, and
his head fell forward il a swoon as he
uttered the last moan and cried; sit is
finished" All heaven will stop to listen
until the story is done, and every harI
will be put down, and every lip closed,
and all eyes fixed upon the divine nara
tor, until the story is done; and then, al
the tap Of the baton, the eternal orchestrG
will rouse up; finger on string of hGS-
and lips to the mouth Of trumpet, there
shall roll forth the oratorio of the Mes
siah: ''Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive blessing, and riches, an(
honor, and glory, and power, world with
out endn'
What he endured, oh who can tell,
To save our souls from death and hell
When there was between Paul and thai
magnificent parsonage only the thinness
of the sharp edge of the sword Of the exc
cutioner do you wonder that he wanted
TO go? Oh, my Lord Jesus, let one wave
OF that glory roll over this auditory
Harkl hear the wedding bells of HEAVIER
ringing now. The marriage of the Laml
has come, and the bride hath made her
self ready.